Lafayette Native Brian Hernandez on Board Winner of 2024 Kentucky Derby

In one of the most exciting finishes of all time, the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby was won today by Mystik Dan in a photo finish with two other horses.

What's even cooler is that Lafayette, Louisiana native Brian Hernandez, Jr. was the jockey aboard the winner.

And if you missed the race, you can see in the photo below that this was a crazy close finish.

The win was no doubt pretty sweet for Hernandez as he has never fared well in the Kentucky Derby. Up until today, his best finish was eighth in the "Run for the Roses." Last year, the 38-year-old placed 11th aboard Sun Thunder.

This was Hernandez's fifth Kentucky Derby mount in his career.

Before today's race, Hernandez's top win came in the 2012 Breeders' Cup Classic. He also finished third in the Preakness that year.

Hernandez has had a solid year so far. Before the Kentucky Derby mount, he had 46 wins in 270 starts for total earnings of $4,814,093.

Now, he'll move on to the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, at Pimlico Race Course in Maryland, on Saturday, May 18, 2024.